Written by: Prisha Acharya - 29040, Grade V
Posted on: 21 March, 2022
A cloud is a large collection of very tiny droplets of water or ice crystal floating in the sky. Clouds are an important part of Earth’s weather. They appear in different colours, sizes and appearances. The clouds formed at different heights in the atmosphere are started by the presence of the amount of water vapour, the temperature at that height, the wind presence of elements and the interplay of other air masses. Based on appearance and the attitude in the sky where they are formed clouds are classified into four types. They are cirrus, cumulus, stratus and nimbus.
Cirrus clouds are short, detached, hair-like clouds found at high altitudes. Cumulus clouds are detached, individual, cauliflower-shaped clouds usually spotted in fair weather conditions. The tops of these clouds are mostly brilliant white tufts when lit by the Sun, although their base is usually relatively dark. Stratus clouds are low-level layers with a fairly uniform grey or white colour. They are the lowest-lying cloud type and sometimes appear at the surface in the form of mist or fog. Nimbostratus clouds are dark, grey, featureless layers of cloud, thick enough to block out the Sun. They also indicate the rainfall.
